A Creative Communication blog

Sadie Curdts is in the 5th grade at Odyssey Charter Elementary School in Colorado. Her essay, “Freedom“, was selected as one of the ten best essays submitted for the Summer 2012 essay contest from the United States and Canada.

Sadie enjoys writing and climbing trees. When she climbs a tree, she uses her five senses, taking in all that is around her. She uses that to give her new information and improve her writing. She also loves to read so she can learn new writing techniques and see different perspectives.

Sadie’s inspiration for her winning essay came from nature. “Nature is so welcoming and peaceful…it is just begging to have a voice and be written about in a rich way,” explains Sadie. “What also inspired me is a boy at school, diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Just looking at him makes my heart break, but it also makes me thankful for what I have. I can do so many things but he struggles immensely just to complete the simplest tasks. Most importantly, I was inspired by Sharon Draper, author of Out Of My Mind. It inspired me to be thankful for everything I have and not to judge people by their looks, or smarts, but their heart.”

In the future, Sadie plans to continue her writing and become a professional author. “I want people to go to a bookstore and pull my book off the shelf, thinking, ‘Oh, Sadie Curdts, all my friends have read her books and said they were great! Maybe I’ll give it a try.'”

I used to stare in front of the mirror, wishing my appearance would change into something more beautiful than what I saw staring back towards me. Yet somehow, every time my reflection was cast back, I was still just the average girl, who looked nothing special…My parents always told me from a young age up that true beauty was on the inside, not the outside, and that no matter what anyone said, I was beautiful. I heard them, yet hearing and listening were two different things…

Natalie Zink’s essay, “The Girl Who Lost Her Eyes“, was selected as a Top Ten Winner for the Summer 2012 essay contest. Natalie attends the 9th grade at Greenfield High School in Wisconsin.

The image shown is Natalie holding a 31.5 inch Walleye that was caught up in Canada last summer. Natalie’s passion is fishing. If she could choose to do anything in the world, it would be fishing off of her family’s boat in Canada. The calmness and serenity of fishing relaxes her. One of her favorite feelings is the tug of the rod as a fish runs with the line, putting up a fight. Then, hopefully, she can reel in a whopper. Natalie also loves playing Poker (without gambling) and Pirates Dice.

“The last couple years have been hard in my life, and to escape some things, I started writing more.” Natalie explains. “My dad was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin Mantle Cell Lymphoma in 2009, which is a pretty serious type of cancer, but I don’t like to use that as an excuse to stop me from living life. I realized, in the many hours spent in the hospitals, that some people gave up on life; yet in my dad’s eyes, he was still a fighting spirit…He was not ready to lose his fight against his cancer.”

Natalie’s essay was inspired by her experience at her dad’s hospital. “I think I have always felt insecure about myself, yet I realized when I saw other cancer patients that they were beautiful without hair, just like my dad was. It took me to be vain towards myself to finally see who I am. Then, when I really looked at myself, I saw the person I was. My dad inspired me and still does.”

Natalie’s dream for her future is to help people. “I don’t know what my future is holding out for me, but I want to make sure that one day I can look back and smile. I want to be able to wake up each morning and know I am doing my best to help someone. You never know what a simple smile or ‘hello’ can do to someone’s day. I don’t know if I can help in someone’s life, but I hope to.”

Madeleine Dike is thirteen years old and is home schooled in Washington. Madeleine’s poem, “1942“, was selected out of thousands of entries for the Summer 2012 poetry contest as one of the ten best poems in the United States and Canada.

Madeleine is not only a writer, but she is also an artist and a harpist. Additionally, she is working on becoming a fashion designer. Her poem was inspired by Edward Hopper’s painting, “Night Hawks.” This is her favorite painting and she wanted to capture the art through poetry.

A small sight in a vast night,Its fluorescent lights gently flicker.Three people sit — two men and a woman —Drinking coffee, dark and bitter.Languished silence lingersWith delicate loneliness and subtle grief.